'st. louis' on Serious Eats

Of the myriad styles of pizza we've got in this country, St. Louis-Style has got to be the most maligned.* Its thin, unleavened cracker crust bears no resemblance to the real dough that great pizza is built on. It gets loaded high with toppings that span all the way from edge to edge. It's so unbalanced that it has to be cut into squares just to be able to support its own weight. And let's not get started on that Provel cheese—if it can even be called cheese, am I right? And yet, ever since tasting for the first time I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I've finally figured out why I love it so much. St. Louis-style pizza is not pizza. It's a big, pizza-flavored nacho. Hear me out. More

Man, did we eat some good things while driving from New York to San Francisco. Here are the delicious highlights from a 10 day trip from that took us through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. More

While brewing history in St. Louis is inextricably linked with Anheuser-Busch and lager, that's not how things started off. One of the city's founders, Auguste Chouteau, was making whiskey there by the 1790s, and John Coons was brewing and selling beer on a small scale by 1809. More

This version twists the tradition slightly, using a chocolate cake mix instead of the usual yellow, and employs cocoa in the filling--the result is an addictively sweet variation on this rich regional treasure. More

This cake may be little known outside its hometown of St. Louis, Missouri (unless you've watched enough Paula Deen.) It's often made with boxed cake mix then topped with the gooey topping, but this version uses a simple yeast based cake. It's very buttery and very rich, but with a strong cup of black coffee it can really hit the spot first thing in the morning. More

There's milkshakes and then there's concretes. And if you want to truly experience a concrete—the insanely thick frozen custard concoction that's so dense you can hold it upside down with the spoon still suspended—you need to visit the St. Louis institution Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard. More

St. Louis's Blueberry Hill is well regarded for its burgers, but they're not among the city's best. The hickory burger in particular suffers at the hands of liquid smoke. Aside from the burger, though, the restaurant is a comfortable place to hang out and features an amazing array of sports and pop culture memorabilia. More

Our man in Chicago, Daniel Zemans, checks in with another piece of intel from the road. Today, St. Louis. —The Mgmt. [Photographs: Daniel Zemans] The Good Pie 3137 Olive Street, Saint Louis MO 63103 (map); 314-289-9391‎; thegoodpie.com Pizza Style: Neapolitan Oven Type: Wood The Skinny: A perfect blend of St. Louis and Naples, The Good Pie is a whole lot better than its modest name Price: $9 to $16 Notes: Closed Sunday When Mike Randolph and his wife moved to St. Louis to be closer to her family, the 2005 graduate of the New England Culinary Institute and former cook... More

Serious Eats Chicago contributor Daniel Zemans checks in with another piece of intel from the road, this time in St. Louis. —The Mgmt. Pi Pizzeria 6144 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis MO 63112 (map); 314-727-6633‎; restaurantpi.com Pizza Style: Deep dish and thin crust Oven Type: Gas The Skinny: President Obama might not be a pizza expert, but Pi has some excellent deep-dish pizza. The thin crust pies, however, do not measure up as well Price: Deep dish pies start at $12 and thin crust starts at $11 Notes: Second location just opened in Kirkwood; third location in Central West End... More

Serious Eats Chicago contributor Daniel Zemans checks in with another piece of intel from the road, this time in St. Louis. —The Mgmt. [Photographs: Daniel Zemans] Thai Pizza Co. 608 Eastgate, St. Louis, MO 63130 (map); 314-862-4429‎; patsthairestaurants.com Pizza Style: Thin crust Oven Type: Gas The Skinny: A noble but unsuccessful attempt to expand the pizza world Price: 9" pizzas are $8 each Notes: Closed Wednesdays On a recent trip to St. Louis, I was wandering down Delmar in the Loop, when neon lights a few doors down a side street called out to me. I ran over to... More

My favorite food description this week comes from our favorite fearless eater, DJ Grocery, in his review of the St. Louis cheesesteak shop, Mammer Jammer. What was my favorite part? When while setting the scene of the griddle action, he describes the habanero peppers as "ready to bring the ruckus to my colon." Judging from the photo of the sandwich, that sounds about right. Sure, he may not paint a pretty picture, but he doesn't employ any overused food words either. I'd totally eat that sandwich. Until my digestive system gave out. Previously: Serious Sandwiches: General Tso's Philly Cheesesteak Nacho Cheese Fountain... More

Editor's note: A short time ago, Serious Eater Ann Lemons contacted me about contributing some burger intel to A Hamburger Today/Serious Eats. "Sure thing!" I said. Here's the result. For more on St. Louis–area food, check out Lemons's blog: St.... More